FCC Network Neutrality is a Regulatory ‘Trojan Horse,’ EFF Says

The Federal Communications Commission’s network neutrality decision opens the FCC to “boundless authority to regulate the Internet for whatever it sees fit,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation is warning.

The civil rights group says the FCC’s action in December, which was based on shaky legal authority, creates a paradox of epic proportions. The EFF favors network neutrality but worries whether the means justify the ends. “We’re wholly in favor of net neutrality in practice, but a finding of ancillary jurisdiction here would give the FCC pretty much boundless authority to regulate the Internet for whatever it sees fit. And that kind of unrestrained authority makes us nervous about follow-on initiatives like broadcast flags and indecency campaigns,” Abigail Phillips, an EFF staff attorney.